Good Morning on this rainy Friday. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Anna and her family this Sunday!!! We can't wait:)
I often hear "What do you eat before and after your workouts?" It always depends on what type of workout Iam doing, For instance; if I am doing yoga or Pilates, I have a lite snack of yogurt or my juice. If I'm getting ready to run I just make sure I'm hydrated and post workout, I eat a balanced meal of carbs, protein to restore my energy supplies. Today is a strength day of a full body workout so, I'm having a handful of nuts pre workout. Post workout will be some sort of protein salad with lots of veggies..... Yum!!! Tonight is Pizza night again!!! YAY!! Spelt Pizza with roasted veggies. We are also taking the kids to the movies.
Strength Training:
Before: Eat 2 to 3 ounces of
protein before you work out and, again, stay away from heavy meals. Your muscles are going to be working extra hard, so they need that type of food to sustain you throughout the workout. Your body is depleting those resources, so you need to introduce them back in. Portion control is also really important because, if you consume too much, your muscles will focus on digesting that food instead of the workout.
For Example: A turkey breast or a handful of nuts.
After: After a good strength training workout, eat 4 to 6 ounces of protein and healthy grains like brown or Basmati rice. Stay away from heavier starches like potatoes and reward your body with yummy pieces of grilled fish or shrimp and vegetables. For a balanced meal, it's very important to include high fiber veggies like with your protein.
For Example: A piece of salmon with kale or grilled shrimp salad.
"I wish people would eat this way most of the time anyway because they would have more energy and also find that they can actually even eat a little bit more. If you eat the right kinds of foods, then your body is going to consume them correctly."
I have included a recipe for stuffed Acorn Squash that I am looking forward to trying this weekend!
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Stuffed Acorn (courtesy cathe.com)
Ingredients
2 acorn squash, halved and cleaned
1/2 cup brown riced, 1.5 cups cooked
2 TBSP olive oil, approximately
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cups of chopped baby spinach
1 TBSP paprika
1 TBSP cumin
1/4 nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Slice and clean the squash, drizzle a little olive oil, salt and pepper onto the flesh. Turn upside down on a cookie sheet and roast about 45 minutes, or until you can easily inset a fork into the skin. While squash is roasting prepare the stuffing and rice according to the package instructions.
To prepare the stuffing, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until lightly brown, remove them from the pan. Add the onions into the pan, cook until just tender. Add garlic, zucchini, and tomatoes and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms back into the pan along with the spinach, paprika, cumin, yeast, salt and pepper. Stir, and let cook 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked rice. When the squash are finished roasting, scoop 1/4 of the stuffing mixture into each half.
Enjoy!!!
